Affiliated media: Instagram account ProTenge , Online media

Incident date: December 20, 2023

Attack type:

• Cyber-, DDoS, and hacker attack on a media outlet

Who attacked: Unknown sources

Source: ProTenge Instagram account

Location: Kazakhstan, Astana

Additional information:

On the evening of December 20, ProTenge’s editorial team reported: «A new attack has been organised on ProTenge’s Instagram account, we are still out of range but are working on restoring it. Still staying in touch with you here, on Telegram, and on TikTok». In the comments, the editorial staff explained what the attacks consisted of: complaints are sent en masse to the administration of the social network, a violation of community rules is simulated, to which the platform reacts automatically — the account is blocked. «We believe that such attacks are an attempt to censor and „switch off“ inconvenient journalism. Not only the ProTenge account is under attack, but also other business and social and political media outlets that write about money. Now, we are working to gather a full picture of what is happening and tell you more about the attacks on Kazakhstani media outlets», — the editorial board wrote.